Guiding Rules

I have chosen the way of faithfulness; I set your rules before me. Psalm 119:30

As we move down the path of our lives, with all of it’s twists and turns, directional decisions and obstacles, we need a guide. God’s rules in the Bible are just that a guide. A popular acronym for the Bible is Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth.

But, what are God’s rules? Surely the Ten Commandments are. Jesus said the first and greatest commandment was to love the Lord God with all your heart, mind and soul. The second was like unto it- to love your neighbor as yourself. He went all to say that all the Law and the Prophets ( in other words, the Bible as it was known back then) were based on these two things.

Whenever we need to make a decision along the path of our lives, if we weigh it against these two rules, we will stay on the road. We need to ask if we go this way, will it honor God and serve mankind, or does it just serve ourselves? The psalmist continues to say this –

Lead me in the path of your commandments, for I delight in it. Incline my heart to your testimonies, and not to selfish gain! (vs 35-36)

Wise words. God has the directions already mapped out for us. It is we who must choose to follow it. The marvelous thing is this – once we commit our ways to God, if we do veer off the path, He is always ready to seek us out and lead us back, like a faithful Shepherd does for a wandering sheep. We bleat, and He comes running. As long as we have breath, it is never too late to get back on the right path of life with God.